Gas-washer



W MORAV 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

G'AS WASHER No. 434,941; Patented Aug. 26, 1890.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-S eet 2,

W. MORAVA.

GAS WASHER. No. 484,941. Patented Aug. 26,1890.

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i jl gy UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VENSEL MORAVA, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

GAS-WASHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 434,941, dated August 26, 1890.

Application filed January 14, 1889. $erial No. 296,275- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, VVENSEL MORAVA, a

citizen of the United States, residing at (Jhi-' detail showing a piece of the perforated metal which is employed in the screen. Fig. 4c is a vertical section of a gas-purifier comprising two tanks arranged one above the other to illustrate the mode of combining any number of such tanks in series, and comprising in the upper tank a modified form of a spider employed in the construction of a screen.

The purpose of this invention is to remove from illuminating water-gas, so called, made from crude oil, the tar and lamp-black which is formed therein in the process of manufacture. It is also serviceable for taking out the tar from coal-gas. In case of the water-gas made from crude oil the mixture of tar and lamp-black is exceedingly tenacious, and this fact causes necessity for my lnvention.

In the drawings, A is a case adapted to contain water and other cleansing-liquid. The water is supplied to this case through the pipe A, entering the same at the bottom, and the height of water beingmaintained by the upright portion of the pipe A the waterlevel in the case being that of the highest point of said upright portion.

Bis the gas-screen, which consists of one or more perforated plates or disks 13', formed with a flange 13 so as to constitute an inverted basin. Each of the disks B is perforated with minute holes or slits, which are grouped in bands or rows alternating with imperforated spaces, as illustrated in Fig. 3, and in the construction of the entire screen from several such disks the imperforated portions of each disk are placed opposite the perforated portions of the adjacent one. As illustrated, three disks are employed in the screen. The purpose of this arrangement is to compel the gas in passing through the screen to take a zigzag course, thus making its path longer and increasing the opportunity for screening out the impurities. The several disks are secured together and stiffened by meansof the spiderB andsuitablecorner-irons b and blocks which hold the disks suitable distance apart, and through which rivets are inserted tobind them togetherandto thespider. The entire screen thus constructed is secured to the shaft 0, which passes through the hub B of the spider B and said shaft is journaled in a long hearing or sleeve A secured to the bottom of the case A and passed out through the top of the case through a double sleeve A, between whose inner and outer walls is an annular cavity a, which is filled with water, and into this cavity the cylinder 0 dips, said cylinder being closed at the top and secured by gas-tight junction to the shaft 0. Said shaft obtains its second support in the hub D of the gear-wheel D, said hub being journaled in the bearing E of the bracket E, which is conveniently secured upon the top of the case. The hub D has a flange (1 below said bearing, while the gear D is above the bearing, whereby the hub is retained in the bearing, the shaft 0 sliding through the hub and being revolved thereby, a suitable seat 0 being formed on the shaft 0 to receive the corresponding feather with which the hub may be provided in a familiar manner. The shaft 0 is in an inclined position, and the screen B, being fixed at right angles to it, is inclined with respect to the horizontal surface of the water into which it dips at its lower side, and the entire lower edge of the flange B being at all times designed to be below the waterlevel, the gas is admitted to the case through the induction-pipe A which protrudes up through the bottom of the case to the waterlevel under the screen B, and the gas is thus permitted to enter under the screen and above the water, and it passes out of the case only by passing through the portion of the screen which stands above the water-level, and thence it passes out at the exit-pipe In thus passing through the perforated. plates which constitute the screen the tar and lampblack is lodged on said plates at the perfora tions and would Very soon fill them up and render the device inoperative, and it is to remedy this defect that the apparatus is constructed as described, the screen being placed in the inclined position shown, with a portion always dipping in the water, power 'being applied through the gear D to revolve the screen. The portion which stands above the water and through which the gas passes and on which is deposited the tar and'lamp-black is being constant-1y changed and washed by being revolved down into and up out of the water, so that a cleansed portion of the plates is constantly exposed for the passage of the gas. A further advantage. of this construction is that water in a thin film remains more or less between the plates-and in the perforations thereof, such film, however, being constantly broken by the pressure of the gas passing through'it, so that the water is in the breaking of the film sprayed through the gas and washes it, which effect is additional to the mere mechanical screening which the plates alone would effect. The entire screen and its shaft are approximately balanced by the weight G. This weight is hung by the cord G, which passes over the eccentric-sheave H, and is secured to the rock-shaft I, which is journaled in the bearing E provided on the bracket E. The same shaft has the two sheaves J J secured thereto upon the other side of the bearing from the sheave H, and the cords K K, fastened to said sheaves and passing around the same, are connected to the gudgeons Z, formed upon the collar L,

which is let into a peripheral groove formed near the end 0 of the cylinder 0, said collar being loose in said groove and permitting .the revolution of the shaft 0 and cylinder 0 thereon. It will be seen that this arrangement causes the weight-G to counterbalance theweight of the screen B and its shaft 0; but the force necessary to counterbalance the downward tendency of the screen and shaft will vary from two causes: first, the extent of the submergence of the screen in the water Of the case A; second, the amount of gaspressure under the screen tending to lift it. The first of these causes makes the counterbalancing force requisite greater as the screen rises, while the second, on account of the increased surface of the screen exposed to the gas-pressure as the latter rises out of the water, diminishes the demand for counterbalancing force as the screen rises; but between the two causes the preponderance of the latter is such that less counterbalancing force is requisite as the screen is raised from the water, and in order that the balance may always be kept as perfect as possible the sheave H is given such eccentricity as to increase the leverage afforded the weight G proportionately to the diminution of the upward pressure caused by the submergence of the screen and consequent diminution of surface exposed to gas-pressure.

Power may be employed to rotate the shaft 0 in anyconvenient manner. The band-pulley M, having on its shaft the pinion N, meshing with the gear D, illustrates a simple means for that purpose. The sleeve-bearing A is extended up into the case A, terminating, however, below the water-level, and is chambered out through a portion of its length within the case, so that water from the upper portion of the liquid contents of the case is admit-ted around the shaft. The reason of this is that the tar and lamp-black tend to fill the bottom of the case, and would flow into said bearing and ultimately stick the shaft fast and at all times increase the power necessary to revolve it, Whereas by extending the bearing so that it takes the water from the upper and comparatively clearer portion this difficulty is avoided without increasing the actual bearing-surface unduly, while the water serves as a lubricant. The sleeveO on the upper part of the shaft above the tank dipping in the chamber a, which is filled with water, makes a complete gas-seal at the top,

which cannot be forced without Very much more pressure than isordinarily present, the length of that seal being from fifteen to twenty inches, whereas the gas-pressure present seldom exceeds that of a twelve-inch water-column. 7

It will be obvious that any number of tanks or cases A with screens therein, as illustrated, may be superimposed, the same shaft carrying all the screens, the water seal-such as afforded by the sleeve A and the cylinder O- being employed only on the uppermost case,

the liquid which would escape around the shaft passing through the bottom wall of the intermediate cases being immaterial; or if it should be thought necessary to provide against it, such provision being made by forming a sleeve like A extending from the bottom of each intermediate case to the water-level of such case, the hub of the spider B being in that case chambered out at the center on the under side, so as to allow it to pass down over the upper end of the sleeve to permit the screen to descend to its position of greatest submergence. Such construction is represented in Fig. 4.

I claim- 1. In combination with the case A and the obliquely-situated screen therein, its shaft having one elongated bearing supported on the case, the other bearing consisting of a power-communicatingwheelfixedlyjournaled outside the case, said shaft being adapted to slide through and be revolved by said wheel, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In combination with the case A and the obliquely-situated screen therein, the shaft other, and downwardly-open screens located in said cases, respectively, and set obliquely therein with respect to the liquid-level, a shaft on which said screens are supported extending through all said cases andhavingitslowerbearing supported upon the lowest case, each of said cases above the lowest having a sleeve extending upward from the bottom around the shaft and through which the shaft passes out of the case into the next lower case, said sleeve extending up above the water-level, the screen in such case having itshub atthe center chambered out on the lower side to form a cavity into which the upper end of the sleeve passes, said hub protruding downwardly about the end of the sleeve so far as to be below the water-level at the lowest position of the screen.

4. In combination with the case A and the obliquely-located screen therein, the shaft of said screen extending from the case and a counter-balance connected thereto, consisting of the weight G and its supporting-cord, and the eccentric sheave H, over which said cord passes, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In combination with the case A and the gas-screen located obliquely therein and having its shaft 0 protruding'from the case, the rock-shaft I, journaled outside the case, and the sheave J, fixed thereon, a collar L, connected and longitudinally fixed with respect to the shaft, cords from said collar to the sheaves,whereby the rocking of the rock-shaft may raise and lower the shaft 0, and the eccentric-sheave H, fixed on said rock-shaft, and the counterbalance-weight G, suspended over said eccentric-sheave, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set .my hand, in the presence of two witnesses, at Chicago, Illinois, this 9th day of January, A.

W. MORAVA. Witnesses:

CHAS, S. BURTON, JEAN ELLIOTT. 

